Every Oscar Winner for Best Original Song, Ranked | SPIN Every Oscar Winner for Best Original Song, Ranked Looking back at the best and worst of 82 years of statue-winning movie themes Andrew Unterberger // February 19, 2015 Share < br />this article: CREDIT: Photo Composite by James Grebey It was 1935 when Con Conrad and and Herb Magidson took home the first-ever Oscar for Best Original Song: “The Continental,” from the Fred Astraire and Ginger Rogers musical The Gay Divorcee. Since then, the winners have expanded from big-band dance number centerpieces to include stirring pop epics from animated movies, non-diagetic love ballads from blockbuster romances, and character themes from all sorts of genres — rock, folk, country, funk and, in the 21st century, even hip-hop. The list of the songs that have won Best Original Song is a bizarre one. It encompasses classic rock legends like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, Great American Songbook crafters like Irving Berlin and Burt Bacharach… and also Christopher Cross, Bret from Flight of the Conchords, and three seperate songs sung by Jennifer Warnes.

Timeless classic films like The Wizard of Oz, High Noon, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s are represented… as are A Hole in the Head, Waikiki Wedding, Thank God It’s Friday, and some movie called Frozen. Put this playlist on shuffle and you’ll be hospitalized for whiplash within six songs. We’ve trudged through the gems and the duds, the songs that have become part of cinema history and the songs whose writers have even forgotten about, to rank the winners from worst to first — also taking a moment to point out the notable nominees beaten each year, and those snubbed from being nominated in the first place, whether due to arcane Academy rules or sheer neglect. Be warned that we ranked the songs according to the versions used in their Oscar-winning parent movies, which aren’t necessarily the most famous version of the song — so it’s Terence Howard and Taraji P. Henson doing “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp,” not Three 6 Mafia, and Angela Lansbury singing “Beauty and the Beast,” not Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

See where your favorites ranked below — unless your favorite is Phil Collins’ Tarzan song, in which case maybe don’t — and check back next week to see where this year’s winner ends up falling. 82. “The Morning After” (The Poseidon Adventure, 1972) Written By: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn Performed By: Renee Armand This ponderous, overblown track wails a promise that there are better times to come if you can push through the darkest times. Presumably, the “Morning After” writers were referring to the duration of their own treacly abomination of a ballad. The only thing this song is good for is banishing a demonic succubus back to the hellfire from whence it came, as South Park so expertly noted. JAMES GREBEY Also Nominated From ’72: Michael Jackson’s first chart-topping solo hit, the title track from the movie Ben, earned a nomination for writers Walter Scharf and Don Black.

Not exactly “Rock With You” or “Billie Jean” that got beat here — songs about rats generally have a certain ceiling — but just about anything would have been preferable to “The Morning After.” Snubbed: Nothing from Curtis Mayfield’s iconic Super Fly soundtrack to be found — probably a counter-balance to Isaac Hayes winning the year before, lest the Academy start to reach a level of cool that would have been totally unsustainable. 81. “You’ll Be in My Heart” (Tarzan, 1999) Written By: Phil Collins Performed By: Phil Collins Speaking of South Park, the movie’s amazing assault on our neighbors to the north, “Blame Canada,” got screwed out of an Oscar by Phil Colins’ mewling sapfest. While some of the soft-rock icon’s contributions to Tarzan are fun in a cornball kind of way, “You’ll Be in My Heart” is an overwrought bore. J.G. Also Nominated From ’99: “Canada” wasn’t the only gem passed over in the name of Phil: Aimee Mann’s “Save Me” from Magnolia, an Oscar nominee of rare subtlety and vulnerability, was also overlooked.

Snubbed: R.E.M.’s “Man on the Moon,” the Automatic for the People single that inspired the Andy Kaufman biopic of the same name, was naturally ineligible, but the fair-game “The Great Beyond” — one of the band’s last great singles, and their biggest-ever hit in the U.K. — was also ignored, along with star Jim Carrey, and the rest of the Milos Forman-directed movie. 80. “We Belong Together” (Toy Story 3, 2010) Written By: Randy Newman Performed By: Randy Newman After failing to win at the ’95 and ’99 awards for his first two Toy Story numbers, Randy Newman finally won in 2010 for easily the worst of the bunch: “We Belong Together,” another trite and predictable ode to lifelong companionship that only serves as slightly less self-parodic than “Left Foot, Right Foot.” A.U. Also Nominated From ’10: Nothing you’ve thought about since 2010, unless you were a weirdly big Country Strong fan.

Snubbed: All of Cher and Christina Aguilera’s Burlesque songs, including the Golden Globe-winning “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” as well as Pharrell’s work for the first Despicable Me soundtrack and Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith’s Karate Kid theme, “Never Say Never.” Slim pickings for sure, but more relevant than most of the songs that made the cut, at least. 79. “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” (Here Comes the Groom, 1951) Written By: Hoagy Carmichael & Johnny Mercer Performed By: Bing Crosby & Jane Wyman “In the Cool, Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening” exploits the electric chemistry of film legends Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman as much as it can, but it’s one of those old Hollywood numbers that’s everything at the same time: Vaudeville! Waltz! Romance! Calm it down guys. Calm. It. Down. DAVID LEVESLEY Also Nominated From ’51: The lovely quasi-standard “A Kiss to Build a Dream On,” recorded first by Louis Armstrong for the Mickey Rooney musical melodrama The Strip.

Snubbed: The Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner composition “You’re All the World to Me” might not have been a classic, but it definitely at least soundtracked a classic movie scene — Fred Astaire’s famous spinning-room dance sequence from Royal Wedding, later referenced in countless music videos . 78. “When You Believe” (The Prince of Egypt, 1998) Written By: Steven Schwartz Performed By: Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston Takes a while to get going, and while it builds competently — with one voice becoming two, then dozens alongside increasing instrumentation — it’s not that impressive outside of the context of the movie, especially for a song that combines the talents of two of the greatest pop stars of the 20th century. It’s also a little preachy, although that’s kind of a given. J.G. Also Nominated From ’98: “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” histrionic Diane Warren power ballad and first-ever Hot 100-crowner for rock legends Aerosmith, from Michael Bay’s apocalyptic blockbuster, Armageddon.

Snubbed: The only other power ballad that might have been as ubiquitous in 1998 as Aerosmith’s, the Goo Goo Dolls’ City of Angels contribution “Iris.” Also, don’t forget that Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?,” one of Baby Girl’s signature hits and on the shortlist for Best R&B songs of the decade, was first heard on the Dr. Doolittle 2 soundtrack that year. 77. “You Light Up My Life” (You Light Up My Life, 1977) Written By: Joe Brooks Performed By: Kacey Cisyk A legendarily insipid ballad, which somehow topped the Hot 100 for a then-record ten straight weeks and won the Oscar in one of the all-time great years for original film songs. This isn’t even the famous version, either: It’s Did Cohn lip-syncing along Kacey Cisyk. God must have been piiiiiisssssed at this being done in his name. A.U.

Also Nominated From ’77: The Carly Simon-sung, Marvin Hamlisch and Carol Bayer Sager-penned “Nobody Does It Better,” from The Spy Who Loved Me — a No. 2 hit and one of the all-time great Bond themes. Snubbed: Oh nothing much, just every song eligible from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which spawned four undying No. 1 hits and sold 15 million copies in this country alone. “Theme From ‘New York, New York,” too. Thank the Lord that they remembered that timeless chestnut “The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me)” from The Slipper and the Rose, though! 76. “Mona Lisa” (Captain Carey, U.S.A., 1950) Written By: Jay Livingston & Ray Evans Performed By: Charlie Spivak & Tommy Lynn “Mona Lisa” deservedly became a standard in the capable hands of Nat King Cole . Unfortunately, the version from Captain Carey was performed by the significantly less-enduring Charlie Spivak and Tommy Lynn: a limp, repetitive arrangement that has deservedly been lost to the ages. A.U.

Also Nominated From ’50: “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from Cinderella, one of Disney’s all-time great nonsense jams. Snubbed: “Silver Bells,” a future holidays perennial, actually debuted in ’50 in the Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell comedy The Lemon Drop Kid, which is definitely the only reason anyone would have cause to discuss The Lemon Drop Kid in the year 2015. 75. “I Just Called to Say I Love You” (The Woman in Red, 1984) Written By: Stevie Wonder Performed By: Stevie Wonder In one of the all-time years for blockbuster film themes — the 1984 ceremonies were the first and to-date only time when all five Best Original Song nominees were No. 1 hits — the award went to a creative nadir for the great Stevie Wonder, a perfectly nice song that was nevertheless a totally fair target for Jack Black’s eventual dickish scorn . A.U.

Also Nominated From ’84: The 1984 category was jam-packed with iconic ’80s themes: Ray Parker’s “Ghostbusters,” Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” and Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose.” And yet… Snubbed: …the Academy somehow whiffed on including anything from the biggest soundtrack of the whole decade, Prince’s Purple Rain. The Purple One did take home a statue in the now-defunct Best Original Song Score category, but no song from the movie — which included a couple chart-toppers of its own in “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” not to mention the No. 2-peaking title track — even got nominated. How do you sleep at night, Loggins? 74. “Born Free” (Born Free, 1966) Written By: John Barry & Don Black Performed By: Matt Monro The list of great songs about the indomitable spirit of large, open-range felines is not a long one, though Matt Monro’s hilariously melodramatic title song for Born Free certainly does its damnedest to get on there.

The earned grandiosity of The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” three decades later effectively made this song totally useless. A.U. Also Nominated From ’66: A couple of memorable British themes: Cilla Black’s Burt Bacharach / Hal David-penned title track to the Michael Caine vehicle Alfie, and the Seekers’ vivacious hit ode to the protagonist of Georgy Girl. Snubbed: Did you know that the original version of “Strangers in the Night” was an instrumental recorded by easy-listening maestro Bert Kaempfert for the movie A Man Could Get Killed in 1966? Well, neither did the Academy. 73. “The Lullaby of Broadway” (Gold Diggers of 1935, 1935) Written By: Harry Warren & Al Dubin Performed By: Wini Shaw Middling, self-congratulatory theatrical fare. Far more memorable for its ahead-of-its-time cinematic introduction — performed in a two-minute one-shot zoom-in on performer Wini Shaw that looks like something from Eraserhead, courtesy of famed choreographer Busby Berkeley — than for anything related to the song itself. A.U.

Also Nominated From ’35: The considerably fonder-remembered Irving Berlin composition “Cheek to Cheek,” introduced by Fred Astaire in Top Hat. Snubbed: “You Are My Lucky Star,” from the confusingly titled Broadway Melody of 1936. In that movie, the song was by cast member Frances Langford and others, but it’s probably best-remembered today as being sung by a terrified Sigourney Weaver in the final fight scene at the end of Alien. 72. “I Need to Wake Up” (An Inconvenient Truth, 2006) Written By: Melissa Etheridge Performed By: Melissa Etheridge It’s unfortunate that Melissa Etheridge’s well-intentioned climate-change ballad sounds like it could be the background music to any generic television PSA. The “wake up” metaphor is a cliché, and the country twang is pretty uninspired, making the mostly toothless call-to-action seem preachy and hokey. Climate change is real, but this isn’t the most motivating of protest songs. J.G. Also Nominated From ’06: “Listen,” Beyoncé’s powerhouse ballad from the climax of Dreamgirls.

Snubbed: Cobra Starship’s “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It!),” the best ’80s blockbuster theme of 2006. 71. “Sweet Lailani” (Waikiki Wedding, 1937) Written By: Harry Owens Performed By: Bing Crosby A very short, very slight, and probably somewhat culturally patronizing Bing ballad. Those high notes are pretty chill, though. A.U. Also Nominated From ’37: Another Fred Astaire classic in the George and Ira Gershwin-scribed “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” from Shall We Dance. And “That Old Feeling,” from Vogues of 1937, was big enough that it was still inspiring movie titles 60 years later . Snubbed: Geez, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, anyone? “Whistle While You Work,” “Heigh-Ho,” “Some Day My Prince Will Come” — all given the cold shoulder, though the movie did get a nomination for its influential score, and an Academy Honorary Award for Walt Disney, basically just for making a badass movie that everyone loved. 70.

“High Hopes” (A Hole in the Head, 1959) Written By: James Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn Performed By: Frank Sinatra More so than the Frank Capra comedy A Hole in the Head, this was the theme for JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign, and like all campaign songs it’s a motivational poster. A song about using all-American determination and pluck to f–k s–t up for no good reason. By late 1961, American military advisors were directing the South Vietnamese Army to forcibly relocate 8.5 million rural peasants to fortified camps called “strategic hamlets”; the project was soon judged a colossal failure. But no one could make that ram scram. THEON WEBER Also Nominated From ’59: Marty Robbins’ western ballad “The Hanging Tree,” from the movie of the same name. (No, not that hanging tree .) Snubbed: Sadly, the hypnotic “Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping Beauty — covered last year by Lana Del Rey for Maleficent — was ineligible, due to being largely derived from Tchaikovsky’s ballet of the same name. 69.

“You Must Love Me” (Evita, 1996) Written By: Andrew Lloyd Weber & Tim Rice Performed By: Madonna When Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice write a song, at its worst it feels like a single they never convinced Celine Dion to sing, and at its best it combines pop’s eagerness to please with Broadway’s hunger for human emotion and struggle through song. “You Must Love Me” is the song they wrote especially for their film adaptation of the Evita musical, and it’s far more the former than the latter: The show clips along with songs both catchy and narratively prurient, yet “You Must Love Me” feels like a pause rather than propulsion. D.L. Also Nominated From ’96: Amazingly, the Beatlesque theme to the ’90s cable favorite That Thing You Do! — written by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger — was actually recognized this year, even if it had no chance of finishing better than a distant third to Evita and Celine Dion’s Diane Warren-penned “Because You Loved Me,” nominated from the Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeifer workplace romance Up Close and Personal. Snubbed: R.

Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly,” a ballad whose gospel was powerful enough to reduce the Notorious B.I.G. to tears , was cruelly rebuffed, presumably because it soundtracked a movie where Michael Jordan played a bunch of cartoon monsters for the fate of the Looneyverse. 68. “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa-Fe” (The Harvey Girls, 1946) Written By: Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer Performed By: Judy Garland Not even Judy Garland’s best movie song about public transportation . A.U. Also Nominated From ’46: “I Can’t Begin to Tell You,” sung by John Payne in The Dolly Sisters, and an eventual No. 1 hit for Bing Crosby. Snubbed: Rita Hayworth acolytes in the ’40s were no doubt smarting at the exclusion of “Put the Blame on Mame,” dubbed by Anita Kert Ellis for Hayworth’s title character in the iconic noir Gilda. 67.

“The Writing’s on the Wall” (Spectre, 2015) Written By: Sam Smith & Jimmy Napes Performed By: Sam Smith A Bond theme for and by people that don’t really get what makes a great Bond theme — foreboding, dramatic, and sweeping, but critically lacking in momentum, absurdity, and fun. A.U. Also Nominated from ’15: Lady Gaga’s fire-throated Diane Warren power ballad “Till It Happens to You” (from the documentary about campus rape The Hunting Ground), and the Weeknd’s career-reviving black-lace waltz, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey).” Snubbed: Whether you liked it or not, it was pretty inarguable that the biggest song from a movie in 2015 was Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s 12-week chart-topper “See You Again,” from Furious 7 . And though it certainly wasn’t technically eligible, it was stark how superior Radiohead’s rejected Spectre theme was to Sam Smith’s statue-winning take. 66.

“Evergreen (Love Theme From ‘A Star Is Born’)” (A Star Is Born, 1976) Written By: Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams Performed By: Barbra Streisand A soft-rock megahit, and Babs’ only Oscar-winning song that she actually received a statue for (co-)writing. Nobody makes melodrama as familiar and comforting as Streisand, but “Evergreen” is sorely lacking in the pathos of “The Way We Were” or even the humanity of “Funny Girl.” A.U. Also Nominated From ’76: Bill Conti’s pump-up perennial “Gonna Fly Now,” a chart-topping quasi-instrumental from the Rocky soundtrack, which has soundtracked about a billion more training montages than Babs’ whole catalog combined. Snubbed: The entirety of Rose Royce’s supremely funky Car Wash soundtrack, including the group’s two biggest smashes: the sultry ballad “I Wanna Get Next to You” and the clap-happy title track. “Something He Can Feel,” a crossover hit for Aretha Franklin (and later En Vogue ) off the Sparkle soundtrack was also ignored. 65.

“We May Never Love Like This Again” (The Towering Inferno, 1974) Written By: Al Kasha & Joel Hirschorn Performed By: Maureen McGovern Points for the super-cold Philly-Soul strings and drums, for its association with the Ben Hur of ’70s disaster pics, and for simply not being “The Morning After.” Otherwise… eh. A.U. Also Nominated From ’74: Western balladeer Frankie Laine’s straight-faced rendition of Mel Brooks’ title theme to Blazing Saddles. Snubbed: Legendary Motown writer/producer’s Willie Hutch’s work on the Foxy Brown soundtrack, particularly the title theme (“No, but please don’t make Foxy mad / Or you’ll find out that the lady is superbad”). 64. “Say You Say Me” (White Nights, 1985) Written By: Lionel Richie Performed By: Lionel Richie The chorus is probably Lionel’s dumbest, the verses are even worse (“I had a dream / I had an awesome dream”), and the song is tissue-flimsy enough to make Phil Collins sound like Phil Lynott by comparison.

But the airy synths are pretty irresistible, and when those huge ’80s drums kick in, the hands go up in the air reflexively. A.U. Also Nominated From ’85: Huey Lewis & the News’ universally beloved Back to the Future theme, “The Power of Love,” a song that would get you reported as a communist collaborator for hating on back in ’85. Snubbed: The biggest snub was probably Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” a new-wave totem and generational anthem by virtue of its association with The Breakfast Club. But there were a whole host of ’85 misses, including the best Bond theme in a decade (Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill”), James Brown’s all-time biggest pop hit (“Living in America,” from Rocky IV), and Madonna’s first two soundtrack gems (“Crazy for You” from Vision Quest and “Into the Groove” from Desperately Seeking Susan). 63.

“Glory” (Selma, 2014) Written By: John Stephens (John Legend), Lonnie Lynn (Common) & Che Smith (Rhymefest) Performed By: Common & John Legend Nobody could argue with the intentions or the timeliness behind “Glory,” the gospel-tinged rap ballad that provides the end-credits song to the Civil Rights historical drama Selma. You could argue, however, that the song was a pretty rote anthem-by-numbers, both musically and lyrically, lacking any of the subtlety or detail that made its parent movie so powerful, and leaving little impression beyond its endlessly intoned chorus chant of “GLOOOOORY!” (Given the standing ovation Common and Legend’s performance received last night, though, it seems we may be alone on this one.) Also Nominated from ’14: The Lonely Island and Tegan & Sara’s “Everything Is Awesome,” the delirious and hilariously over-caffeinated faux pop megahit from the universe of The Lego Movie, as well as the Adam Levine solo soul-pop ballad “Lost Stars,” co-written by the inimitable Gregg Alexander .

Snubbed: “Boom Clap,” Charli XCX’s euphoric breakout solo hit from the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack. 62. “The Shadow of Your Smile” (The Sandpiper, 1965) Written By: Johnny Mandel & Paul Francis Webster Performed By: Johnny Mandel & Choir In its Johnny Mandel and choir incarnation, “Shadow” was hardly the most striking of movie themes, but short and sweet and maybe even the slightest bit sinister. Also a Grammy winner for Song of the Year (as performed by Tony Bennett), beating out the most covered song of the 20th century. A.U. Also Nominated From ’65: Tom Jones’ jukebox standard “What’s New Pussycat,” from the movie of the same name (Woody Allen’s screenwriting debut!) Snubbed: Speaking of Jones, he pulled double film duty in ’65, also singing the title song to Thunderball, a supremely underrated Bond movie and theme. 61.

“Three Coins in the Fountain” (Three Coins in the Fountain, 1954) Written By: Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn Performed By: Frank Sinatra A somewhat frivolous song contingent on understanding plot points from the film of the same name (or the Roman tradition it’s based on), though it improbably became something of a go-to and trademark number for Ol’ Blue Eyes just the same. A.U. Also Nominated From ’54: “The Man Who Got Away,” Judy Garland’s big number from the Mk. II film version of A Star Is Born. Snubbed: Nothing terribly notable — Frank Sinatra’s title theme to “Young At Heart” was released before the movie, and nothing from Carmen Jones (originally a stage musical from a decade earlier) was even close to eligible. Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire 4: Top Hat (1935) at Reel Classics Isn't This a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain? "When a clumsy cloud from here meets a fluffy little cloud from there, he billows towards her. She scurries away, and he scuds right up to her. She cries a little and there you have your shower.

He comforts her; they spark. That's the lightning. They kiss -- thunder." --Jerry. So Jerry sings " Isn't this a lovely day to be caught in the rain? " But Dale is slow to come around. Actually, the reason this dance sequence is so neat is not just its "conversation though dance" style, but Ginger's acting. She does a great job making the transition from put-out and pursued to obliging and even interested herself. In fact, what makes the comedy of this movie work (when it does), is her timing and fine abilities as a comedienne -- often overlooked and underrated, but essential to the success of all of their films together actually. A picture of the real bandstand in London's Hyde Park where the "Lovely Day" dance takes place in the film, although it was actually shot on a set on the RKO lot. Via various happenstances, Dale (after falling for him) comes to believe that Jerry is actually her friend Madge's husband (whom she's never met, but who is actually Horace, Jerry's producer).

Upset and hurt, she knows better than to get involved with (the man she believes is) Madge's husband, and after telling Jerry off, thinks all is well when she's invited to spend the weekend with Madge at the Lido Hotel in Venice. Guess who's also invited? Unfortunately, while the dancing continues to impress, the plot begins to disappoint -- there's just not enough of it. Things slow down considerably in Venice because there's not enough happening story-wise to keep them moving, and the various episodes in which Dale should-but-doesn't find out that Jerry is not Horace get old. Is it really possible to go 90 of the 105 (or 101 in some cuts) minutes of the film without her figuring out who's really who? Even in THE GAY DIVORCEE the deception didn't last this long. And has anyone ever seen Venice looking so pristine as it does in this film? The art designers even dyed the water black to better contrast with this, another huge white set. But then again, who wants realism? It's supposed to be diversion, right? And actually, as charming as this film is, we tend to forgive its weaknesses.

Well, as I said, it's the dancing that continues to impress in TOP HAT. There's another solo by Fred (back in London) to " Top Hat, White Tie and Tails " in which he creatively shoots down a chorus of his fellow dancers with his cane (the sound effects being provided by his feet). And the big production number finale which had become a standard in the films after RIO's "The Carioca" and DIVORCEE's " The Continental " was called "The Piccolino" in this film. Fred didn't like it and handed it down, so Ginger sings it (rather randomly), and to be honest, the lyrics aren't much more than arbitrary Italian words thrown in for their easy rhyming (casino, bambino, vino, etc.), but the dance is neat and Ginger's sparkling-skirted dress makes a nice statement as well. Feathers. Few of Ginger and Fred's romantic duets are as famous as the "feathers" number -- " Cheek to Cheek " ( ) -- however. They both discuss this episode in their autobiographies, and I'll do my best to summarize the story a little from each side.

Here goes: As was her custom by now, Ginger and dress designer Bernard Newman consulted on what she should wear for the number, and they agreed upon a form-fitting blue satin dress with "myriads of ostrich feathers, low in the back and high in the front."( *1 ) Ginger started rehearsing and Newman set out to produce the dress. The difficulties started during the "dress" rehearsal however. As Fred explains: Girls love to wear slacks when learning or rehearsing a dance. They are comfortable and convenient and allow complete freedom of movement. Ginger always wore them for rehearsal. [...] when putting on a dance, experimenting over and over with various steps, the slacks work perfectly, but when we finally have to get ready to shoot, it is necessary to try everything with a dress, the actual dress if possible, to see how things will go.

[...] Endless problems can arise out of this situation, and I made it a practice some years back to ask the lady to rehearse in a dress or in some sort of prop cloth that behaved like a dress, so that we would not be confronted with impasses on the set at the last minute, holding up production and causing general consternation.( *2 ) Unfortunately, wardrobe had a little difficulty with the feathers, and the dress wasn't ready until time for the shoot. According to Ginger, Fred and director Mark Sandrich began to complain about it as soon as it was delivered: "'What is it? A bird? A plane?' 'No, it's Ginger's dress!'"( *3 ) As she was about to put it on, Sandrich came to her dressing room and told her he didn't think it was right for the scene. He suggested that she wear her white dress from the "Night and Day" number in THE GAY DIVORCEE and had it brought down from storage. Ginger was upset by this affront to her taste and judgment and decided to fight for the dress, but Fred, Sandrich and the crew were all against her.

She became so overwhelmed at how out-numbered she was as the argument progressed (by now, five men from RKO 's front office were also involved), that she called her mother, Lela, who came down to studio to lend her support. Eventually things became so heated that Ginger and her mother walked off the set. They didn't return until Sandrich agreed to let her rehearse the number in the blue feather dress. In Fred's version, there was no trouble until they actually began rehearsing with the dress. "Everything went well through the song, but when we did the first movement of the dance, feathers started to fly as if a chicken had been attacked by a coyote."( *4 ) According to Ginger, there were difficulties with flying feathers, but it wasn't that bad. In either case, after a little more rehearsing, sewing, shaking, and sweeping, the cameraman finally decided just to shoot the number and see how it came out in the rushes the next day. The rushes were fine and the trauma was over. (A few loose feathers are visible in the number, but only if you're looking for them really.) There were still a few hard feelings on both sides however.

Fred and choreographer Hermes Pan mocked the incident by singing (to the tune of " Cheek to Cheek "( )): The 10 best film musicals of all time - Telegraph Classic Movies The 10 best film musicals of all time As Sweeney Todd opens at the ENO with Emma Thompson, we look at the best film musicals as chosen by David Gritten John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 film, 'Grease' Photo: AP 2:20PM BST 02 Apr 2015 Top Hat (1935) A fabulous delight, with Astaire and Rogers at the peak of their form, show-stopping Irving Berlin songs (Cheek to Cheek, Isn’t This A Lovely Day?), gorgeous sets and a witty mistaken identity plot that just about holds up. Unalloyed joy. The Wizard of Oz (1939) Probably the best-loved musical in cinema history, with a teenaged Judy Garland a mesmerising Dorothy. A soothing fantasy that affirms the value of home and hearth, it has an innocent charm. And Somewhere Over the Rainbow tends to silence naysayers.

Judy Garland prepares to follow the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) The greatest ever MGM musical , directed with verve by Vincente Minnelli, with thrilling set-pieces (notably The Trolley Song), Judy Garland at her most radiant, wonderful songs (Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas) and a melancholy undertow about missing loved ones. Close to perfect. Easter Parade (1948) Astaire and Garland in a backstage musical constructed around Irving Berlin’s immortal songs – Steppin’ Out With My Baby, A Couple of Swells, I Love A Piano). It’s so witty, light and delectable, you barely notice the lack of a book. An American in Paris (1951) Handsome, glamorous piece, with Gene Kelly’s dancing all muscular effervescence, complementing Leslie Caron’s gamine charms. Great songs from the Gershwins (Embraceable You, I Got Rhythm) and a climactic ballet sequence. Its design and Technicolor palette feel ahead of their time. A towering achievement.

Calamity Jane (1953) Doris Day at her absolute best, right there on the Deadwood stage, in this hugely agreeable western-set musical comedy. Reliable Howard Keel is a decent Wild Bill Hickock, but Day dominates the show, especially when she launches into the great Secret Love. West Side Story (1961) A great film musical with strengths that eclipse its weaknesses. Richard Beymer is a pallid Tony, but Rita Moreno and George Chakiris provide fire, zest and lust. The dancing is electrifying, the songs sensational and the singing just fine. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer star in West Side Story A Hard Day's Night (1964) Director Richard Lester perfectly captured the Beatles’ insouciant wit and cheeky charm in this prototype of pop videos. The Fab Four scamper around winningly, joking about the absurdity of their new-found fame, and Lennon and McCartney provided sturdy songs for the soundtrack. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) Jacques Demy’s beguiling one-off, a sung-through operetta with Catherine Deneuve as a shopgirl in love with a garage attendant who leaves her pregnant.

Dazzling use of colour and fine songs, notably the yearning I Will Wait For You. Grease (1978) Amiable romance, with a 1950s American high school as nostalgic backdrop. John Travolta grins and swivels his hips to great effect, teaming up perfectly with Olivia Newton-John. Undeniably appealing; most of its perky song are etched on our collective memory. Olivia Newton John and John Travolta star in Grease This article was originally published in 2013 Top Hat (1935) Pages: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) Background Top Hat (1935) is one of the great 30s dance musicals, and possibly the best, most characteristic and most profitable Astaire and Rogers musical ever, with wonderful, magical dance and song numbers (with straight-on, full-length views of the dancers without a lot of camera cuts or unusual camera angles). Its tagline was: "They're Dancing Cheek-to-Cheek Again." Some consider it as a glorified re-make of their earlier film The Gay Divorcee (1934), with its familiar story of mistaken identity and a similar cast.

The film's witty script, written specifically for Astaire and Rogers, was written by Dwight Taylor (author of The Gay Divorcee) and Allan Scott - and was based on the play The Girl Who Dared, by Alexander Farago and Aladar Laszlo. This film, directed by Mark Sandrich (who directed five of the dance team's films - see * below), was the fourth of nine films that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in for RKO (between 1933 and 1939), although their first film pairing in 1933 was not top-billed and very minor. Top Hat became RKO's greatest box-office hit of the 30s (the moneymaker brought in over $3 million). By its second week (in September 1935), it had broken attendance records at New York's Radio City Music Hall by taking in $245,000, and by its third week, it had accumulated $350,000 in ticket sales. It became the second highest-grossing film of the year worldwide behind Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) .

Flying Down to Rio (1933), with Astaire/Rogers not in the lead roles, but billed after Dolores del Rio, Gene Raymond, and Raul Roulien The Gay Divorcee (1934)* The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) - for MGM, 10 years later The film's legendary dances at the pinnacle of Astaire's and Rogers' teaming, with their charm and sophistication, naturally help to develop and carry out the simple plot - the romantic story of two strangers who meet by accident in a hotel in London, and whose budding romance is soon confused by a contrived subplot of mistaken identities. Romantic dance numbers (love duets) help Astaire win the scornful Rogers over to him - (first with "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" in England, and later with "Cheek to Cheek" in Venice, Italy). The musical score by Irving Berlin, with five songs including the title song - his first complete musical score in five years, was the start of a long collaboration between Berlin and Astaire.

[Berlin would go on to write songs for five more Astaire films.] All of Berlin's songs, that are smoothly integrated into the storyline within the film, reached the top of the popular music charts at the time. The songs included "No Strings," "Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)," "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails," "Cheek to Cheek," and "The Piccolino." [Three Berlin songs were written for the film, but didn't make it in the final cut: "Wild About You," "Get Thee Behind Me, Satan," and "You're the Cause."] Filmed during the Depression Era, the film's idea of wealth and glittering elegance is portrayed by the sumptuous backgrounds and gleaming surroundings (fancy hotels, a dream-like, Art Deco Venice with winding canals and bridges, a floating nightclub, etc.) and extravagant costumes of the debonair characters (evening gowns and furs, and tuxedos with top hats and tails).

In its own way, the film satirizes stuffy upper-class manners while glorifying in them and providing wish-fulfillment for mid-30's audiences, as painfully demonstrated in the conclusion of Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), as a dejected, bereft Cecilia (Mia Farrow) watched the famous "Cheek to Cheek" song-and-dance number from this film, and her face slowly transformed into one of rapt joy - despite being jobless, having been abandoned by a man she left her true love for, and having an abusive, unfaithful spouse. The film was Oscar-less, but was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Interior Decoration (Carroll Clark and Van Nest Polglase), Best Song ("Cheek to Cheek" with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin), and Best Dance Direction (Hermes Pan with the uncredited assistance of Astaire himself). The film lost the Best Picture honor to Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) . The Story The titles and credits begin with an opening sequence depicting a shiny stage floor and the dancing feet of two dancers, shown from the waist down. First Fred Astaire, then Ginger Rogers.

After they swirl toward the camera, the picture then dissolves to a shot of a black top hat, over which the remaining credits are superimposed. The top hat belongs to a dignified man who enters a stuffy, but stately London Club - the Thackeray Club (founded 1864), where silence is to be strictly observed. The atmosphere is so quiet and still that the slightest cough and accidental crackling of another gentleman's newspaper disturbs the elderly club members. The rustling newspaper belongs to American Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire), a celebrated Broadway dancer making his London debut the next evening. He is waiting to be picked up by the prissy, high-strung producer of the London dance revue, Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton). When Hardwick, the show-business impresario departs from the club with the high-spirited Travers, the dancer again upsets the club's hushed atmosphere and awakens club members by loudly tap-dancing his exit from the club.

In Hardwick's hotel suite later that evening, Hardwick tells Jerry that his wife Madge (Helen Broderick, mother of actor Broderick Crawford) expects Jerry to fly down with Horace over the weekend to the Lido (a seaside resort near Venice, Italy), where she is vacationing. Madge plans to have Jerry meet, for match-making purposes, a "young friend" and "there's something in the air." Hardwick suggests that the free-spirited Jerry should consider marrying and settling down: Horace: Look here, young fella, I think it's about time you found out for yourself. Jerry: ...No thanks, Horace. In me, you see a youth who is completely on the loose. No yens. No yearnings. No strings. No connections. (He begins singing "No Strings") No ties to my affections. I'm fancy-free. I'm free for anything fancy. No dates that can't be broken. No words that can't be spoken. Especially when I am feeling romance-y. Like a robin upon a tree. Like a sailor that goes to sea. Like an unwritten melody, I'm free, that's me.

So bring on the big attraction, My decks are cleared for action. I'm fancy-free. I'm free for anything fancy. Happy-go-lucky, dapper Jerry has another urge and breaks into song, mid-sentence. He sings confidently, in "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" that he prefers his present state of footloose independence, and his stringless connections/affections. After singing the verses twice, he exuberantly and noisily practices his tap dancing and jumping, performing airborne heel-kicks, and ultimately slapping and kicking the walls and furniture with both hands and feet. The camera cranes downward to the hotel room below, where Jerry has wakened Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) in her satiny bedroom. After phone calls to the hotel manager, who reports the complaint by phone to Horace in the room, Travers continues to dance around, toppling a marble statue from its pedestal. The awakened sleeper from the floor below, where plaster is falling from her ceiling, comes up the stairs to his door to complain. Jerry meets her as she glares and complains to him during the stormy confrontation.

After apologizing for disturbing her and confessing that his dancing "affliction" strikes him at odd moments, he instantly decides she is the girl for him: Dale: I dropped up from the room below where I've been trying to get some sleep! Jerry: Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, I didn't realize I was disturbing you. You see, every once in a while, I...I suddenly find myself - dancing. Dale: Oh, I suppose it's some kind of an affliction. Jerry: Yes, yes, it's an affliction. Uhm, St. Vitus Dance [a disease of the nervous system]. Dale: And it only occurs at this time of night? Jerry: Yes, that's it. It only occurs at this time of night. As a matter of fact, I really shouldn't be left alone. Dale: Yes, I can see that. You probably should have a couple of guards. She isn't very impressed by his confession that has upset her slumber and makes fun of him.

As she returns to her room, smiling to herself, Jerry has another dance "attack" coming on in the hallway, hinting that only one thing can stop him - the embracing arms of an attendant nurse. Jerry: I wish you wouldn't leave. Dale: Why not? Jerry: I think I feel an attack coming on. (He starts dancing in the hallway). See, there it is. Dale: So I see. Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Cheek To Cheek You will receive an email shortly to confirm your email address. Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Cheek To Cheek title details and video sharing options now playing Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Cheek To Cheek Jerry (Fred Astaire) warbles the Irving Berlin tune for skeptical Dale (Ginger Rogers), into the dance that caused him to nickname her "Feathers," the famous number from Top Hat, 1935.

View the TCMDb entry for Top Hat (1935) share video Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Cheek To Cheek Jerry (Fred Astaire) warbles the Irving Berlin tune for... Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Cheek To Cheek Jerry (Fred Astaire) warbles the Irving Berlin tune for skeptical Dale (Ginger Rogers), into the dance that caused him to nickname her "Feathers," the famous number from Top Hat, 1935.> TOP HAT (1935), Fred Astaire and Ginger... Top Hat - (Re-issue Trailer) A woman thinks the man who loves her is her best friend's husband in Top Hat (1935), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.> Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Top Hat, White Tie... With the song written by Irving Berlin at Fred Astaire's...

Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) Top Hat, White Tie And Tails With the song written by Irving Berlin at Fred Astaire's request, "Jerry" performs on his opening night in London, the show produced by his pal Horace (Edward Everett Horton), in Top Hat, 1935.> Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) No Strings Early scene, Jerry (Fred Astaire) explaining his outlook to... Top Hat (1935) -- (Movie Clip) No Strings Early scene, Jerry (Fred Astaire) explaining his outlook to friend Horace (Edward Everett Horton), into the Irving Berlin song and a long tap number, which wakes the downstairs neighbor (Ginger Rogers), from Top Hat, 1935.> Top Hat (1935) - Connections - IMDb Top Hat (1935) Jump to: Referenced in (44) | Featured in (32) | Spoofed in (6) Referenced in Introducing...

Janet (1981) (TV Movie) Poster seen Blue Money (1985) (TV Movie) Tim Curry sings "Cheek to Cheek;" Curry and Debby Bishop arrive at a costume ball dressed as Fred & Ginger. Tap (1989) a couple is called the "black Fred and Ginger"/in their act, they dance to the song "Cheek to Cheek"

Question: From which musical did the Oscar winning song Cheek To Cheek appear
Answer: Top Hat